Mountainous, winding and rocky tracks followed by sandy dunes all the way to Foum Zguid, then it was full throttle to the finish line in Tagounite: The Organizers called it “The unavoidable ‘, this first stage of the OiLybia Rally of Morocco will leave indelible memories in the minds of all competitors. Three hundred and ten kilometers on the clock, which for many of them, were much, much more than just a warm-up.
BIKES: From the outset, it became a KTM double act.
They went ahead and stayed there…. Between the start and finish, just the order changed. Cyril Despres and Marc Coma signed a resounding double act for KTM 450’s debut in competition; just a little hesitation gave victory to for the man who won the last Dakar. For his first special stage in six months, Cyril Despres shows a magnificent return to power ahead of his Spanish teammate. Behind the two leaders, is Dutchman Frans Verhoeven who puts his BMW G450 RR (Team Speedbrain ) into third position, he is also making a promising debut in the Moroccan desert. Same feeling, same satisfaction for Yamaha Motor France, the new YZF cross ridden by Olivier Pain did extremely well. That was the good news! For all the other competitors of the rally in the bike category this first day was riddled with worries. Small and insignificant to some, and dramatically unfortunate for others… Navigational problems for David Fretigne (BMW G450RR) and Portugal’s Helder Rodrigues (Yamaha 450 WRF). Ditto for the Spaniard Jordi Viladoms who, in his first special on a Yamaha, was time checked in the lead at CP1 and second CP2, before committing a huge mistake forcing him to make a 15 km detour. The result: fifteen minutes lost on arrival! There were suspension problems for Jakub Przygonski (Orlen Team KTM 690), unable to take advantage in the second part of the stage on the lake Iriki. Worse was to come: Bruno Da Costa saw his Yamaha go up in smoke after thirty kilometers following an impressive fall. A huge disappointment for the Frenchman.
CARS: BMW ARE LAUGHING, AND CHICHERIT IS CRYING
It was as predictable as the sun shining over Tagounite (the arrival village of this first stage): the XRaid team succeeded. Leaving first this morning, Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Pol Cottret (BMW X3 No. 300) escaped, relegating their closest teammates, twenty minutes behind them. And yet, if you count the four flat tires and stopping at the assistance park, Leonid Novitsky and by German Adreas Schulz, one can estimate that despite a rougher style, the Russian has been almost on a par with the leader. Unfortunately for the X-Raid team, the BMW X3 No. 302 with Guerlain Chicherit and Michel Perin was announced immobilized at kilometer 180 with serious mechanical problems. They were joined by the Portuguese Leal Dos Santos (BMW X3 No. 308).
Good news for other competitors obtaining unexpected classification of this first step. This was particularly the case for Patrick Sireyjol (Bowler Cummins No. 313) author of a near-perfect rally and an unexpected 4th place, just ahead of the Springbok MD Rallye Sport driven for the first time by the duo-Pélichet Decré , in high spirits but with a faulty GPS!
A few concerns for theYellow MD Rallye Sport team buggies with cylinders, pipes and starter problems for Jean-Luc Blanchemain and Jean-Marc Davoy, conceding precious minutes on the track. Ditto for Pascal Thomas and Alex Winocq (Buggy Optimus MD No. 303 mechanical problems costing them nearly 2 hours. Tenth car on arrival, the Russian Kuznetsov, accompanied by Konstantin Zhiltsov (Mitsubishi Pajero Re Autoklub No. 321) who signs the victory of the day in the T2 category reserved for production vehicles before the Toyota Ricopat No. 329 of the French Perez and grazing.
KOVACS TENTH SCRATCH
The giant Hungarian Miklos Kovacs (Scania Qualisport No. 401) and his impressive truck pushed tenth in the absolute scratch in the car/trucks class. The Portuguese Elisabete Jacinto (MAN Oleoban No. 400)’s eagerness was punished by a double puncture (at km 26 and 126) and a navigational error which that cost her 2nd place for the benefit of the other MAN’s French Richard Gonzales.
INTERVIEWS
BIKES
Cyril Despres (Fra / KTM 450): “Beautiful warm-up! I caught up with Marc Coma after 50 km when he hesitated, a few miles after; it was I who got slightly lost. This was my first race in 6 months; it feels great to be back! First outing for the KTM 450 and first win… the man is still there.”
Marc Coma (Spa / KTM 450 # 1): “Navigation was not easy, but hey!, it was mostly a good start with the new bike. Everything went very well and the next few days promise to be more full bodied.”
Frans Verhoeven (NL / BMW 450 # 9): “My BMW was fired up. I had a little trouble on the faster sections where Przygonski overtook me before getting lost. To reach third position here, is particularly encouraging for the entire BMW team …”
Olive Bread (Fra / Yamaha 450 No. 6): “A very positive first leg, the bike is much more manageable. This is really an excellent basis on which to work on”
Jakub Przygonski (Pol / KTM 690 # 3): “Suspension far too soft. Could not ride properly today with a bike jumping in all directions …”
David Fretigne (Fra / BMW 450 # 4): “I made a lot of ground on the tracks … my handling of the bike looks very promising …”
Bruno Da Costa (Fra / Yamaha 450 No. 12): “I fell at kilometer 77. I managed to get back on. At the” assistance park I patched up the bike. Twenty kilometers further on, the bike started to backfire, I saw flames. I tried to put them out with some sand. A rider tried to help me push it into the sand to extinguish the fire. But in vain, all I had left were my eyes to cry with…”
Harite Gabari (Mar / Yamaha 450 No. 15): “I drove really carefully, but I sorely lacked speed. This is not due to a lack of power, but to my weight!…”
Joe Janas (USA / KTM 690 # 31): “For my first rally in Africa, I was overwhelmed with the beauty of the area. It was magnificent. I rode at my own pace. Nothing comparable to Illinois, where I usually ride enduro. The Sahara is really beautiful. Tomorrow we attack the dunes. This is another discovery for me …”
CARS
Stephane Peterhansel (Fra / BMW X3 No. 300): “Beautiful special, very varied. At first it was really slow in the mountains. I really thought we were wasting time. But we did not puncture!. After Foum Zguid it got significantly faster and more pleasant for us. Jumps, Intense navigation, overall it was a good run. Tomorrow really is a another day …”
Leonid Novitsky (Rus / BMW X3 No. 301): “We attacked a little strong at first, which won us three punctures before reaching the assistance. Then, in the fast portion we still had to change a wheel. In the end, we saw Holowzcyc turn round that saved us some time …”
Holowzcyc Krzysztof (Pol / BMW X3 No. 304): “Step one was very technical, and very slow at first, then it got faster. We suffered a slow puncture after 20 km. Then, just after CP3, a herd of camels and tourists made us miss a branch. But the key was to start quietly, without damaging the car …”
Patrick Sireyjol (Fra / Bowler Wildcat Cummins No. 313): “Being the first of 4 BMW’s is frankly a performance that we were not expecting. We had to fight off Pélichet. I can’t wait for tomorrow, in the dunes, it will be even better.”
Pélichet Jerome (Fra / Springbok MD Rallye Sport No. 311): “We had a super special, even if we lost our GPS after 20 kilometers. We drove just using the road book being very careful in the DZ (enforced speed limits) where we certainly stayed well below the limit. In addition, we stopped several times to help the team MD. Otherwise, I think our lap would have been much better. But hey, this is what we are all here for …”
Jean-Luc Blanchemain (Fra / MD Rallye Sport Buggy No. 305): “Let’s just not talk about this special. We had a puncture on the front at an early stage. Then the cylinder dropped off ripping the fuel tank. We were stuck in reverse amongst a sea of rocks and water … Fortunately, Pélichet helped us out of this mess …”
– Credit: OiLybia Rally of Morroco.